On Tuesday, Corelle Brands LLC, formerly known as World Kitchen LLC, was awarded a $2.5 million grant from the Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program (RCAP) to modernize the world-renown Pyrex brand glassware manufacturing facility located in Charleroi.

This grant and this modernization project are specifically aimed at jumpstarting economic growth and job creation throughout the Mon Valley. I am even more pleased to see that the Commonwealth is working together with state and local officials to ensure that this world-class facility remains in the 49th Legislative District for years to come. I am hopeful that the completion of this project will empower more local workers to obtain family-sustaining jobs with quality benefits.

According to Corelle’s grant application, the $2.5 million will be used to replace the existing glass tank which has reached the end of its useful life and must be rebuilt. The scope of this project entails the draining of the existing melting furnace and removing of the existing refractory brick lining.

At that point, the furnace will be rebuilt with new materials, state-of-the-art technology upgrades and the installation of furnace overcoat capability to allow for the extension of the furnace life and improved capital efficiencies.

This week’s Mon Valley Moment is my personal invitation for California Area School District residents and all other concerned citizens to join me on Thursday, Sept. 20, for our next Town Hall Meeting.

Beginning at 6 p.m., this informational forum will be held in the California Area High School auditorium, 11 Trojan Way, Coal Center.

Maximizing recreation, travel and tourism in Washington and Fayette counties, leveraging our regional Triple A (assets, activities, attractions) and expanding job creation and economic opportunities throughout the Mon Valley are just some of the featured issues we will be discussing at this sixth in a series of town hall meetings that I am proud to be hosting across the 49th District in 2018.

As always, come on out and learn about what’s going on at the local level and throughout our state, ask questions, share ideas and leave with answers!

Interested individuals should register for this FREE event as soon as possible by calling my Bentleyville district office at (724) 669-2242.

I hope to see everyone there on Sept. 20, so be sure to tell your friends and neighbors!

Schools Urged to Apply for Safety Grants

The new School Safety and Security Grant Program – established as part of the 2018-19 state budget package – is now open for applications.

Schools interested in applying for grants to help with safety equipment and resources should submit their applications by Oct. 12 to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, which is administering the new program.

A total of $52 million in grant funding will be provided to school districts, intermediate units, area vocational-technical schools, charter schools and private residential rehabilitative institutions for a wide variety of projects to improve school safety.

The grants can be used for any of 22 specific school safety initiatives listed in the legislation, including such things as hiring school security officers, purchasing security-related technology, completing safety and security assessments, implementing violence prevention curricula, offering counseling services for students, and other programs and services to protect students.

The grant money is to be distributed geographically, with no school district receiving more than 10 percent (but eligible for at least $25,000) of the available funds. The money is expected to be distributed by March 2019.

The Pennsylvania Treasury announced the launch of a new state website dedicated to reuniting military decorations that have been reported as unclaimed property with their rightful owners.

The new search function allows users to search their names, or the name of a loved one, to see if Treasury is holding a military decoration as unclaimed property. In addition, users can look through a photo gallery featuring some of the decorations that are in the unclaimed property vault, as well as medals that have been returned to their rightful owners. Military decorations are often reported to Treasury as contents held in a safe deposit box that has gone unclaimed or abandoned.

Since 2017, Treasury has returned 58 service decorations, some of which have been in Treasury’s custody for decades, including Purple Hearts, to their rightful owners. Treasury continues to search for the owners of over 500 unclaimed military awards.

Unclaimed property also includes items such as abandoned bank accounts, forgotten stocks, and uncashed checks. Under Pennsylvania law, entities are required to report any financial asset that has gone unclaimed for a period of time — usually three years — to Treasury.

Treasury’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property is also available toll-free at 1-800-222-2046 and via email at tupmail@patreasury.gov, to help conduct a thorough search for unclaimed property.

House Committee Examines Telemedicine Bills

Members of the House Professional Licensure Committee this week examined legislation that would allow health care to be more accessible and affordable by offering telemedicine options for patients.

Telemedicine refers to the remote delivery of health care services and medical information using telecommunications technology, a significant and rapidly growing component of health care. Through the use of telemedicine, specialists and other health care providers are able to expand their reach, helping patients stay in their communities and avoid traveling long distances for specialized care.

Legislation has been introduced in both chambers (House Bill 1648 and Senate Bill 780) that would define the term in state law and offer clarity for insurance company reimbursement for these services. Although the legislation requires payments for telemedicine services, those payments would be established between the provider and insurer.

Among those testifying at this week’s hearing were physicians, nurses, medical information technologists, insurance industry representatives and a rural school superintendent.

Elk Cam Goes Live

The Pennsylvania Game Commission again has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, in a field that typically is a hub of elk activity as the bugling season this fall heats up.

Video and sound from the camera are being live-streamed at www.pgc.pa.gov, and viewers can expect not only to see elk, but turkeys, deer and other wildlife as well.

The live stream, which is provided by the Game Commission’s partner, HDOnTap, is the latest in a string of real-time wildlife-watching opportunities offered by the Game Commission.

The page also contains information on Pennsylvania’s elk, where to view them and links to the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors website, which includes all sorts of helpful information for anyone visiting elk country.

The live stream is slated to run until the end of the bugling season, likely sometime in mid-October. The top time to see elk on camera is late in the afternoon.